Mi'kmaq Indigenous Health Consultant (Designated)

Company: IWK Health

Req ID: 224545
Department/Program: Health Equity, Safety and Wellness, Health Equity, Safety and Wellness
Location: Halifax
Type of Employment: Permanent Hourly FT (100% FTE) x 1 position(s)
Start Date: ASAP
Union Status: Non-union, Management/Non Union Bargaining Unit
Compensation: $45.7463 - $56.0392 /hour
Closing Date: Open Until Filled (Applications are accepted until 23:59 Atlantic Time)

This position is a designated position. The successful candidate must be from the designated Mi’kmaw group in order to be considered. They must self-identify as Mi’kmaw and be able to verify that they are a recognized member of the Mi’kmaq nation.

When applying, please ensure your candidate profile and personal information are up to date, which includes any self-identification.

IWK Health is a respected academic health sciences centre located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, providing tertiary and primary care for two million children, youth, adults and families each year across the Atlantic region. We have a team of approximately 4000 employees, physicians, volunteers and learners at sites across Nova Scotia. People build careers with IWK Health with our focus on training and mentorship opportunities. We recognize each other’s talent and celebrate our successes. We collaborate in modern facilities or virtually from home, align our work to our values, and enjoy access to enhanced benefits and wellness programs. We are proud to support our patients, families, and communities and are grateful for the generous donor support we receive.

Promoting an anti-racist environment and calling out discrimination as we work and provide care is important to us. We are located in Mi’kma’ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. Working in Mi’kma’ki and providing care to those across Atlantic Canada is a shared privilege with the original inhabitants who have lived here for many thousands of years prior to colonization. There are 13 First Nation communities across Nova Scotia, and more than 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities who also have a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 400 years. We have the highest percentage of people with disabilities in the country. Nova Scotia has the highest proportion of transgender and non-binary people of any other province or territory in the country. We are active in our work to eliminate discrimination, but have more work to do to build that trust, acknowledge our biases, and reduce the barriers our diverse communities face. We want IWK Health to be a safe and supportive space of equity and belonging in the care we provide and the employment we offer. We welcome all interested persons who self-identify as Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotians, Persons of Colour, Immigrants/Newcomers, Persons with Disabilities, and 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply to support our goal for our workforce to be representative of the patients, families, and communities that we care for at all job levels.

The Opportunity

As a key member of the Equity and Belonging Team within the Health Equity, Safety and Wellness Portfolio, the Consultant provides expertise and guidance to advance and continuously improve culturally safe and appropriate health services for Mi'kmaw and Indigenous peoples at IWK Health. It involves building and maintaining strong relationships with Mi'kmaw and Indigenous Health leaders and partners across Nova Scotia to support coordinated approaches to health equity and reconciliation. The Consultant actively engages with Mi'kmaw and Indigenous communities, organizations, and health practitioners to better understand community priorities and support initiatives that improve health outcomes. This work is guided by Indigenous perspectives and aligned with IWK Health's policies, strategic commitments, and accountability to equity and reconciliation.

Central to this role is also contributing to a collaborative team effort to foster a culturally safe, diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace for all. Guided by the IWK Health strategic priorities, particularly the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Reconciliation and Accessibility (EDIRA) Strategy, the Consultant works closely with portfolio colleagues consisting of culturally-focused health consultants, patient navigators, program and service advisors and coordinators, along with organizational and system partners to develop, implement, and evaluate initiatives that promote cultural safety and belonging.

Working within the established policies, strategies, and frameworks of IWK Health, specifically, the Health Equity, Safety and Wellness Portfolio’s mandate, the Consultant brings Mi'kmaw ways of knowing and being to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs, policies, and initiatives. In collaboration with team members and organizational partners, the Consultant helps advance equitable access to high-quality, culturally safe services for Indigenous peoples while supporting workplace strategies that strengthen the representation, engagement, and success of Mi'kmaw and Indigenous employees and leaders.

As part of a collaborative portfolio team, and within the Portfolio’s mandate and strategic goals, the Consultant contributes to and leverages existing partnerships across the health sector, government, academia, education, research, business, and community organizations. Together with colleagues and partners, they help identify and implement promising practices, resources, and structures that promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and Indigenous representation in both health service delivery and employment at IWK Health.

The Consultant also contributes to broader diversity, equity, inclusion, reconciliation, and accessibility initiatives across IWK Health. Working in partnership with colleagues across portfolios and programs, they help advance organizational efforts to address health inequities and improve the experiences and outcomes of underrepresented and equity-deserving communities.

Hours of Work

• Permanent Full-Time; 75 hours bi-weekly
• Onsite with occasional remote options

Your Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in an Allied Health field, Public Administration, Health Services Administration, Business Administration, or relevant areas of study.
• Five years of related experience or a Master's degree plus three years' experience.
• Significant knowledge of Indigenous peoples across Nova Scotia and the Maritimes.
• Experience as a health professional is an asset.
• Demonstrated commitment to promoting and advocating for systemic change that addresses and advocates for health transformation initiatives that improve access and experience to the health system for Indigenous people in NS and reduces health inequities and anti-indigenous racism.
• Strong understanding and connection to Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw communities and demonstrated experience working with and engaging Mi'kmaw communities.
• Demonstrated experience in project management, coordination, facilitation, community engagement and qualitative research.
• Strong writing skills with demonstrated competency writing synthesized literature reviews, policy analysis, briefing notes and reports.
• Demonstrated planning, organization and time management skills. Ability to deal with competing priorities.
• Demonstrated critical thinking with demonstrated ability to assess and anticipate future needs, potential problems, directions and development for all aspects of strategic, financial, and human resource management.
• Strong communication skills and ability to develop and sustain coalitions, alliances, and partnerships with the members of the health care sector and external agencies. Community development experiences an asset.
• Ability to communicate and build coalitions effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders using a variety of methods.
• Innovative systems thinking with an understanding of working with priority communities.
• Demonstrated high standards of ethics, integrity, respect, accountability and upholding the public interest, and ability to use them effectively in decision-making.
• Leadership skills consisting of building a vision, team building, conflict resolution, goal setting, coaching, mentoring, delegation, change-leadership.
• Responsibilities are provincial in scope, resulting in regular travel throughout the province and occasionally elsewhere in Canada.
• A current Nova Scotia Driver's License and access to a reliable vehicle are required.
• Competencies in other languages considered an asset; Mi'kmaq preferred.

Walking alongside leaders across the organization to advise on organizational fulfillment of the TRC calls to action, the MMIWG calls to Justice and UNDRIP, advocating for safe services that are responsive to Mi'kmaw community needs.

Thank you for your interest in IWK Health.

Please note that we only contact applicants selected for interview/testing. If we invite you to participate in an assessment process (such as an interview or testing), you have the right to request accommodation. Please discuss your needs when invited to the assessment process.

This is a Management/Non Union bargaining unit position. Preference is given to bargaining unit employees for unionized positions. Successful applicants changing unions, bargaining units, or employment status are advised to seek clarification regarding their seniority, benefits, and vacation entitlement and/or usage, prior to accepting the position.

An offer of employment is conditional upon the completion and satisfactory results of all applicable background checks and confirmation of credentials.

If you are an employee of IWK Health, please apply through the internal careers page to ensure you are flagged as an internal applicant.